BEWARE: Tech gadgets coming from China, preloaded with viruses/spyware!
RADA
Apple Valley, CA Member
*Keebs/Prime - tried to load this to Main Page News - just disappeared.... 
Did you just get yourself a new iPod, or a TomTom? Or maybe you got your dear old Grandma a digital picture frame so she can show you off to her bridge club. You might want to connect it to your PC and run an antivirus check and a few antispyware applications on it.
An increasing number of high tech devices coming out of Chinese manufacturers are landing on reseller’s and distributor’s shelves preloaded with key loggers, tracking software, password collectors, and can leave hidden backdoor access to your PC. How is this happening? The most likely reason for this influx of corrupt tech toys is because it is cheaper to produce products in China than elsewhere. Low cost leads to lax security and menial quality control standards. Such an environment can leave ample time for a low paid employee to earn a few extra dollars by slipping in a Trojan program or two.
Case in point: Los Angeles computer consultant Jerry Askew purchased a Chinese manufactured digital picture frame, for his 81 year old grandmother, from a large retail electronics chain. Upon plugging it into his PC, his antivirus software alerted him that the flash memory in the frame had four viruses on it, one being a password sniffing application!
A few security experts have stated that the rash of infections is accidental, possible due to compromised test machines at the end of the assembly line, but I’m a bit more skeptical. I could see a low-level virus or bit of spyware making it on to an item during testing, but some of the viruses installed have been very sophisticated, cutting edge to say the least. Where is there a better place to install such applications, than at the manufacturer? Jack or Jill Consumer is lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that their “virgin” techno-gadget couldn’t be harboring malicious software. Other security professionals are stating that this is just the beginning of a wave of retail ready items arriving with unwanted software already installed. Corrupting the assembly line is so new that the hackers still need time to discern if this tactic will be a profitable venture for them.
The steps at combating this problem are the same as with your PC or laptop:
Keep your OS updated
Install, use, and update antivirus/antispyware software. A list of high quality, FREE, applications is available in the Icrontic Forums, in the Security & Networking area.
If you believe your machine or tech toy is infected, and you’re not sure how to clean it, help is available here. Our Security Staff is very good at disinfecting systems!
Did you just get yourself a new iPod, or a TomTom? Or maybe you got your dear old Grandma a digital picture frame so she can show you off to her bridge club. You might want to connect it to your PC and run an antivirus check and a few antispyware applications on it.
An increasing number of high tech devices coming out of Chinese manufacturers are landing on reseller’s and distributor’s shelves preloaded with key loggers, tracking software, password collectors, and can leave hidden backdoor access to your PC. How is this happening? The most likely reason for this influx of corrupt tech toys is because it is cheaper to produce products in China than elsewhere. Low cost leads to lax security and menial quality control standards. Such an environment can leave ample time for a low paid employee to earn a few extra dollars by slipping in a Trojan program or two.
Case in point: Los Angeles computer consultant Jerry Askew purchased a Chinese manufactured digital picture frame, for his 81 year old grandmother, from a large retail electronics chain. Upon plugging it into his PC, his antivirus software alerted him that the flash memory in the frame had four viruses on it, one being a password sniffing application!
A few security experts have stated that the rash of infections is accidental, possible due to compromised test machines at the end of the assembly line, but I’m a bit more skeptical. I could see a low-level virus or bit of spyware making it on to an item during testing, but some of the viruses installed have been very sophisticated, cutting edge to say the least. Where is there a better place to install such applications, than at the manufacturer? Jack or Jill Consumer is lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that their “virgin” techno-gadget couldn’t be harboring malicious software. Other security professionals are stating that this is just the beginning of a wave of retail ready items arriving with unwanted software already installed. Corrupting the assembly line is so new that the hackers still need time to discern if this tactic will be a profitable venture for them.
The steps at combating this problem are the same as with your PC or laptop:
Keep your OS updated
Install, use, and update antivirus/antispyware software. A list of high quality, FREE, applications is available in the Icrontic Forums, in the Security & Networking area.
If you believe your machine or tech toy is infected, and you’re not sure how to clean it, help is available here. Our Security Staff is very good at disinfecting systems!
0
Comments
If you do not need, please do not updated. Have the opportunity to lead the new version of iTunes database files disorder, the process will make iTunes.exe to death cycle. Eventually lead to manually create a new iTunes folder,which fully equivalent to install iTunes.
Users can add a lot of trouble.
wut?
Engrish is not my yours fisrt language.